Many adults claim this generation’s youth do not serve or help the community. This, however, is not the case at U.M. ARMY. United in Mission: Action Reach-out Ministry by Youth is a nonprofit organization that holds camp every summer in various states across the U.S. At these mission locations, U.M. ARMY hosts more than twenty-five hundred youth and adult volunteers to serve those in need. Their goal is to promote Christian fellowship and provide exterior home and landscaping work for low – income, disabled or elderly homeowners in need of assistance.
Several of our own Kingwood Mustangs served at U.M. ARMY this summer in Athens, Texas where more than 100 participants from different churches came to Athens First Methodist to serve the community and engage in fellowship.
During the week, mustangs served Athens and surrounding communities by tending to previously surveyed work sites. Youth and adults were divided into work groups and assigned a “client” whose home needed repairs. This included building wheelchair ramps, porches, painting, scraping paint and yardwork. These groups worked these sites every day from early morning to late afternoon with a goal to finish before the end of the week. If a group finished their site early, they were moved to another. By the end of camp, this resulted in the completion of work on more than fifteen sites total. In between their daily worksites, work groups also performed chores like cleaning bathrooms and dorms to keep their host church clean as well as serving meals to campers.
“I think the way these students served, opened the eyes to a lot of how God is moving through this next generation. How beautiful was it to see intergenerational service right on the clients’ front doorstep. I truly believe these clients’ eyes were opened to see that God is doing new things in this younger generation beyond just the service that was offered. They are his vessels, and he is moving through them so evidently!”
– Blake De Llacer, Youth Pastor at Kingwood Methodist Church
U.M. ARMY would not have been possible without the months of preparation by camp staff. This included tool managers, kitchen staff, work group leaders, safety teams, pastors and camp directors. These volunteers handed out tools to workgroups headed to job sites, cooked three-plus meals a day, assured the safety of everyone on and off work sites, and led the camp in a time of fellowship.
Although U.M. ARMY requires days of dedication and long hours of hard work in the Texas sun, our mustangs who served returned feeling proud of their services to the Athens community.
What impact did the clients have on you?
“They showed me how much Jesus can be loved and how to love him despite the things that might have happened or will happen to me.” -Emma Harlan, 10th
What was your favorite task to do at your work site(s)?
“My favorite job to do was probably digging the post holes because it’s the base of the whole project that you just have to get right and it doesn’t take me too long to dig them.” -Gabriella Gowen, 11th
What sets apart U.M. ARMY from other summer camps?
“U.M. ARMY is about helping others who are in need but what really sets it apart from the other camps is that the campers are the ones who are truly being healed.” -Rylan Bey, 12th
Sources:
https://kingwoodmethodist.org/students/umarmy/
